What was harder post WLS...The physical side or the mental side of the surgery??

This forum can get a little boring guys...I know men don't open up much...but come on, lets talk about something!!  As Jiffyj talked about his one year anniversary it got me wondering...What has been harder for you to deal with...the physical side of WLS or the mental side?  For me it was the mental side.  The physical can be hard...trying to grab for energy and it not being there.  The first few weeks of discomfort...the discovery of what foods are good and what are no nos.  But I found the mental side was harder...Having to go up to friends and family and to reintroduce yourself, being eyed by beautiful women...Having them make eye contact and saying hello!!  That stuff can really play on your mind if you're not grounded.  Being treated better in business situations...You're thinking "I'm the same guy inside...why are you doing this"??  Like you have  your life more togeather than others...If they only knew...  Anyway thoughts??  What has been harder and why??  Brian

Can't really say one aspect is "harder" than the other.  On the physical side, learning what I can and can't eat, eating a heck of a lot slower and definitely smaller amounts, learning what this strange feeling in my gut is...Full, too Full, oops ready to bring it up...the lack of steam or energy at the end of the day.

On the mental side, a bit of a sense of loss.  Knowing there are certain foods/drinks that I cannot or choose not to have.  Back to the energy thing.  But I know that comes with recovery

I am only 4 weeks out and know I still have a long way to go but thus far, I am down two pant sizes, and 1.5 shirt sizes, per my Drs agreement have discontinued a blood pressure med I have been on for nearly 20 years, did not have to go on diabetes meds, and no longer have to use the CPAP machine!  Oh and from my highest weight, including the pre-surgical diet and post-op recovery diet, I am down 50, yes that is Five Oh (50) pounds!!!

Bottom line, I feel so good both physically and mentally, I still say it is well worth it. 
 

I'm with you on the mental thing.  Noticed that I've still got some of the same issues as a normal sized person that I did as a fat man.  Job hunting thing is getting to me really bad.  My final step, sans plastic surgery, is going back to law enforcement full time.  Keep trying and trying but ain't happening.  Nice thing about being back on ranch is something to do to fill time.   

Now that I'm almost 8 months post RNY... the honeymoon period is slowly ending and I am facing feelings I didn't anticipate.  I already knew that strangers treat you better when you are thinner because my weight was up and down all my life, so I have experienced that before.

But now I am still trying to get rid of old habits.  Like avoiding eating at a table because I don't like people watching me eat, or to get away from the table as quickly as possible so I don't eat more.

I also have recently had a desire to eat big bad rich foods that are high in carbs and grease.  I have felt cheated that others can eat those things and I can't, or shouldn't.

But In my heart, I know my new lifestyle is 100X better than the old one. 

Giving up those old unhealthy foods may be like breaking up with a girlfriend.  Sometimes it took me a while to get over it.  The longer the periods that I did without.... the less painful it became.

Physical side is great, recovery is a faint memory for me like it is for a lot of us.  The positives that come along with better physical condition are many:  it is better for business (I am self-employed), people seem to have a better perception of your abilities, able to play with my kids, I could go on and on...

The mental side, it has been tough.  There is nothing like using food as a pacifier and suddenly having it taken away, as most of you reading this post can relate to.  Once the 'new' wore off about a year out, life threw a lot of stressful situations at me, and I found out my ability to deal with this stress was woefully compromised.  Granted, I have dealt with a lot - first the surgery, then unexpected job changes & uncertainty, the birth of my 2nd son (not on the agenda originally, but wouldn't take anything for him),  the death of 2 close friends, sale of house & purchasing another, problems with in-laws followed by problems with wife (nearly divorced but now working on it), and (no surprise here) a bout with depression.   I can attribute some of the mental challenges to the changes the WLS brings on, but some of these things would be stressful enough without WLS.  Now that time has brought some stability, things have improved, and I have learned how to handle stress better.  That is probably the one thing I can say in hindsight, I was not properly prepared for the mental changes.  I'm just working my way through it one day at a time and will keep doing so.

MENTAL.. This is such a mind fu@k but if you are stupid like me and not take your vitamins, the physical part is VERY bad too..  I am dealing with memory loss, migraines and just physical pain due to lack of vitamins.. I did this to myself so I beg of you all to take your vitamins..

I go next week for some major tests and hope that nothing I have done to myself is too bad..   I know that I bruise easily and have had issues with fainting due to lack of vitamins..  I fainted at the wrong time and ended up floating in a Marina last year..  Luckily, some people risked their lives to save mine.. I CAN NOT stress how important your vitamins are.  This is a lifestyle change and not just during the honeymoon period. 

The physical is tough but nothing like the mental. I have found that I feel like a baby without a pacifier. I have found myself reaching for things I never looked to before. Transfer addictions can get you if your not carefull. Luckily I caught them and switched them to excersize before they got out of hand. People think this is the easy way out but they are very wrong. All of that said I still wouldn't change my decision to have surgery for anything , It's the best decision I ever made.

For me the physical and mental fallout from WLS are probably equal.  The horemone dump really messed with me.  I had no idea what was happening to me nor did my wife.  I lost a few friends during the first year post, I believe mostly because I became more confident in myself and quit putting up with being taken advantage of.  But I often still wonder if I was a jerk...  Breaking bad eating habits and replacing them with good ones was also difficult - it took total focus to keep the devil at bey.

Physically - almost 6 years post and I still dump after almost every meal.  I am sick for 25 minutes after breakfast, I have to lay down after lunch and diner.  It doesn't matter how much or how little I eat, I eat I dump !!  I had WLS to relieve back pain due to disc problems, losing 150# didn't ease my pain at all.  Eventually I built up my abdominals snow skiing, (which I wouldn't have done pre WLS) and relieved some of the pain, but I still take vicodin and tramadol 4 times a day just to get by.

Am I glad I had WLS - yes, do I wish I could have lost the weight another way - yes.  Being thin and active I'm sure will add 20 years to my life and will make the 20 that I would have lived anyway but miserable, greatly rewarding.

Wow! Those are some mental problems I'd love to experience. 

Society does treat you different...When you're in the middle of it you'll know what I'm talking about...It can get really creepy...